Joseph Sparke or Sparkes (1683–1740) was an English antiquary, editor of some significant chronicles.

Life

He was son of John Sparke or Sparkes of

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

. Having been educated in his native city under a Mr. Warren, he was admitted a pensioner at

St. John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corporation established by a charter dated 9 April 1511. The ...

, on 11 July 1699, and graduated B.A. in 1704. Returning to Peterborough, he became registrar of

Peterborough Cathedral Peterborough Cathedral, properly the Cathedral Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew – also known as Saint Peter's Cathedral in the United Kingdom – is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Peterborough, dedicated to Saint Peter, Saint Pau ...

. He devoted much time to antiquarian studies. In 1719, in a letter of Maurice Johnson to William Stukeley, he is mentioned as having lately arranged on a new method Lord Cardigan's library at Dean in Northamptonshire. He was also entrusted with the care of

White Kennett White Kennett (10 August 166019 December 1728) was an English bishop and antiquarian. He was educated at Westminster School and at St Edmund Hall, Oxford, where, while an undergraduate, he published several translations of Latin works, including ...

's collection of early historical and theological documents that passed to the cathedral library, which he was to supply daily and augment. Kennett's biographer William Newton describes Sparke as ‘of very good literature and very able to assist in that good design’. Together with his friend Timothy Neve, Sparke was the founder of the Gentleman's Society of Peterborough, and prevailed on Bishop Robert Clavering to allow it to meet in a room over the Saxon gate-house. In October 1722 he had become a member of the

Spalding Gentlemen's Society The Spalding Gentlemen's Society is a learned society based in Spalding, Lincolnshire, England, concerned with cultural, scientific and antiquarian subjects. It is Britain's oldest such provincial body, founded in 1710 by Maurice Johnson (16 ...

, on which it was modelled. Sparke died on 20 July 1740, and was buried in Peterborough Cathedral, where there is a monument to him in the retro-choir. His wife Rebecca died on 27 March 1747, aged 56.

Works

In 1723 he edited two folio volumes entitled ''Historiæ Anglicanæ Scriptores varii, e codicibus manuscriptis'', of which both large and small paper editions were published. They contained the '' Chronicon Angliae Petriburgense'', which later was attributed erroneously to John, abbot of Peterborough (1250–1262), by

Simon Patrick Simon Patrick (8 September 1626 – 31 May 1707) was an English theologian and bishop. Life He was born at Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, eldest son of Henry Patrick, a wealthy merchant, on 8 September 1626, and attended Boston Gramma ...

and

Henry Wharton Henry Wharton (9 November 1664 – 5 March 1695) was an English writer and librarian. Life Wharton was descended from Thomas, 2nd Baron Wharton (1520–1572), being a son of the Rev. Edmund Wharton, vicar of Worstead, Norfolk. Born at Worstead ...

. This was printed by Sparke from a transcript furnished to him by John Bridges of Lincoln's Inn, and, not having been collated with the original (among the Cotton. MSS. in the British Museum), contains errors. It was re-edited in 1845 for the

Caxton Society The Caxton Society was founded in the United Kingdom in 1845 to promote the publication of inexpensive and convenient editions of medieval literature, including chronicles, that had not yet appeared in print. It was named after William Caxton, and l ...

John Allen Giles John Allen Giles (1808–1884) was an English historian. He was primarily known as a scholar of Anglo-Saxon language and history. He revised Stevens' translation of the '' Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' and Bede's ''Ecclesiastical History of the Engli ...

. The ''Historiæ Anglicanæ Scriptores'' included also

William Fitzstephen William Fitzstephen (also William fitz Stephen), (died c. 1191) was a cleric and administrator in the service of Thomas Becket. In the 1170s he wrote a long biography of Thomas Becket – the ''Vita Sancti Thomae'' (Life of St. Thomas). Fitzsteph ...

's ''Life of St. Thomas Becket'', the ''History of Peterborough Abbey'' by

Hugh Candidus Hugh Candidus (c. 1095 – c. 1160) was a monk of the Benedictine monastery at Peterborough, who wrote a Medieval Latin account of its history, from its foundation as Medeshamstede in the mid 7th century up to the mid 12th century. . ...

Walter of Guisborough Walter of GuisboroughWalter of Gisburn, Walterus Gisburnensis. Previously known to scholars as Walter of Hemingburgh (John Bale seems to have been the first to call him that).Sometimes known erroneously as Walter Hemingford, Latin chronicler of t ...

's ''Vita Eduardi'', and the chronicles of

Ralph of Coggeshall Ralph of Coggeshall (died after 1227), English chronicler, was at first a monk and afterwards sixth abbot (1207–1218) of Coggeshall Abbey, an Essex foundation of the Cistercian order. Chronicon Anglicanum Ralph himself tells us these facts; ...

Benedict of Peterborough Benedict, sometimes known as Benedictus Abbas (Latin for "Benedict the Abbot"; died 29 September 1193), was abbot of Peterborough. His name was formerly erroneously associated with the ''Gesta Henrici Regis Secundi'' and ''Gesta Regis Ricardi'', E ...

, and others. Another volume contemplated by Sparke was to contain Whittleseye's ''Hereward of Peterborough''.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sparke, Joseph 1683 births 1740 deaths English antiquarians